


Stormbringer

by ukenceto



Series: Love beyond the bones [11]
Category: Gears of War (Video Games)
Genre: Family, Injury, Introspection, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:00:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27340855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ukenceto/pseuds/ukenceto
Summary: Life seems to be going well, between the city and the grounds of the estate; but Baird finds himself dealing with everything one wouldn't expect on a spring day just like so many others.Can he and Marcus face the way the world changes together, or are some struggles a burden he can only carry alone?//Set about nine years after the events of GOW 3.\\
Relationships: Damon Baird/Marcus Fenix
Series: Love beyond the bones [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1025247
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	Stormbringer

***

* * *

“And what do you two have over there?” Baird smiled, hands on his waist. The boys, who were just giggling in a rather conspicuous manner, looked up at him, suddenly the picture of pure innocence.

Just, he’s had that look from those particular baby blues one too many times to fall for it.

“JD?” He prompted, still leisurely leaning on the work bench, trying to convey the sense that he could stay like that all day if it needed be. Years under all sorts of uptight sergeants and other such personnel had made him perfect the above action into nearly an art form.

“A treasure map!” It was Del who spilled the beans after all, elbowing JD slightly, who gave him a surprisingly slant look for a nine year old.

“Where could you possibly find such a thing?” He asked, despite the telltale mud over both of their pants and shoes, and the cobwebs clinging to JD’s hair, who was still trying his best to hold something behind his back, despite that the said mysterious object was apparently slipping from his grasp from a while now.

“The shed—“

“The attic—“

He could’ve almost believed them, if they’d gotten their story right. Then again, he reminded himself, that wasn’t something one was supposed to expect of kids.

“Which one is it?” Just as the words left his lips, a large cylindrical object fell down on the canopy of leaves behind JD, who suddenly seemed to forget all about its existence.

“Okay, that does seem like it has spent some time buried somewhere.” He hummed before eyeing up the object carefully. “Boys, you know what me and Marcus have told you about playing with random things you find laying around the fields and in the forest, right?”

He’d switched to his serious tone, noticing how it made the kids flinch. He mentally berated himself for that, but it was necessary at times. For their own good.

“Well?”

“You’ve told us to leave them alone.” JD mumbled, clearly avoiding his eyes.

“And call one of you first.” Del added, glancing up at him for a moment.

“Because?”

At this the boys shared such a miserable look, he was almost ready to let things slide, this time around. But a memory, barely a couple months old, rose unbidden in his mind. That poor kid at the settlement… He still blamed himself, in a way. Someone should’ve checked those tunnels beforehand, or at least put a proper fence near that area.

But there was never enough time, or people, or a million other things that were waiting in the mental checklist that always ran at the back of his mind.

He couldn’t change back time. He’d tried to do better from there on, and this was no exception.

“I’m listening.” He prompted them again, the serious atmosphere unfitting the relaxed nature around them, the tree brushes that buzzed with the song of insects and the light bunnies which danced around through the leaves, sunlight reflecting from the pond.

But he’d seen enough death even in such beautiful days.

“Because they could be something dangerous.” JD looked up at him, but his hand had reached over to Del, who’d held it in his seemingly nearly out of reflex.

“Bombs, and bad things left over from the war.” Del finished, tracing a path between the leaves with the tip of his shoe.

“That’s correct.” Leaning down until he was at their level, Baird ruffled their hair. “Go clean up now, and best remember our talk, ok?”

“Yeah.”

“Yes.”

“Are we grounded?” Del asked after a moment, looking at the sunlit lawn with a sigh.

“No, not this time.” He could give them a bit of a leeway at least. And it really would’ve been a pity to waste such a fine day. “But you’ll be playing where I can see you, alright?”

“Okay!” JD nodded eagerly, happy that they weren’t gonna have to stay indoors after their apparent transgression to one of the few rules in the household.

“Come on now, clean up!” Watching the two of them run off and enter the house, Baird sighed to himself.

The thing they’d found really did seem like a map sheath; the string meant to have it carried over the shoulder was darkened with mold and nearly falling apart, but the canister itself seemed nearly intact.

Yet, he couldn’t know what was actually inside it until it was open. Or if it exploded while he tried to open it.

Wouldn’t be the first time.

The Locust never were quite so ingenuitive when it came to improvised explosive devices, at least not ones meant to last in the long run. But the Stranded had been, and then some. Not to mention the COG, and before that war, nearly all parties in the Pendulum.

Such warfare was an ugly, deceit thing which cost lives even long after the battles and the causes for them were over. But, one could argue, that was how everything in war had been. Either war.

Leaving the object where it was, still on the ground, Baird went to the small shed which doubled as a forge. Marcus had gotten rather good at casting and applying horseshoes on the few horses they had, and any incoming ones in the rare moments someone from the Outsider settlements came by. But overall, it was used for anything and everything either of them needed. Repairs mostly, and in some cases, forging the tools they lacked.

There was more than enough spare iron laying around.

It also held something Baird had been working on fixing in the last months; a Silverback unit, one he’d adapted for the rough terrain of the Estate’s grounds.

Something that definitely helped when it came to heavy lifting, especially since Marcus’ old back injury seemed to be making itself known more often than not nowadays.

It would do for the task he had in mind now as well.

Stopping by only to put on the heavy, flame resistant apron and the welding mask, he climbed into the Silverback, content to see the battery charge was at sufficient level.

He’d put a couple of solar panels on the roof of the shed, so that it doubled as a docking station for the unit.

Following the stone pathways with a rhythmic thump-thump, he made his way over to the outdoors workbench next to which JD had dropped the canister. Picking it up as carefully as the heavy machine allowed for, he breathed a sigh of relief when it didn’t immediately explode on impact.

Now came the hard part.

Ever so slowly, he rounded the old estate, until he reached a small gate which led to the outer gardens. Rather than going for the barn and the greenhouse, he turned to the side, to a road less traveled that he knew ended up in a rocky quarry, one which formed a natural border to the northern side of the lands.

The Silverback creaked and groaned at some of the more steep parts of the trip, but ultimately held out until a small clearing. Nothing grew there apart from washed-off yellow lichen which clung to the old stones, and occasionally on the bark of ancient tree trunks a storm must’ve rolled over a long time ago.

Setting the canister down, he half-considered just putting a large rock over it; the Silverback was capable of that.

But never the one to be satisfied by a job half-done, he decided it was best to open the damn thing and be rid of it for good, regardless of what it held.

For all he knew, it could be just paper mush, the only thing left from maps likely as old as he was, if he was placing the design of the canister correctly era-wise.

Still, bracing himself, he gave the most feather light touches to the control sticks inside the Silverback, making it grip the upper part of the pipe slowly, and twist.

Soundlessly, the tube gave way, sans any fire and brimstone.

And it was time for the final touch.

Tipping the canister over, he saw a couple of tightly rolled bundles come out.

“Huh.” He sat still for a while, then dismounted the Silverback. “Actually maps, hmm… Doubt they point to a treasure that’s still worth it though.”

He talked to himself in a low voice as he removed the apron and the mask, before crouching down to inspect the canister once more. It was definitely empty, and the rolled up bundles seemed like nothing more sinister than paper.

Who knows if that’s all they’d been when they were first put in that tube however.

Naturally, his curiosity won over, and he picked them up, deciding that for all that’s worth it wouldn’t hurt to check them out later.

“And here I thought there was a small earthquake going on.” Marcus’ voice startled him, and he nearly dropped the newly acquired treasure, not unlike a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

Huffing, he straightened up, shoving the potential maps under his arm. He wasn’t actually doing anything wrong, though he had considered telling Marcus about the boys’ actions later in the evening, to spare them an earful from him too, at least for the duration of the day.

“Just testing out the Silverback. An opportunity presented itself.” He said, waving one of the paper rolls in the air, though Marcus just lifted an eyebrow, crossing his arms. His hands were still covered in dirt, the testament of interrupted work – Baird distinctly recalled him saying something about repotting the seedlings today, then disappearing into the greenhouse.

The Silverback must’ve been making a lot more racket than he’d thought if Marcus had heard him all the way over there though. Or he just had an ear for any sound out of the ordinary for the farm.

Either way, perhaps an apology was in order.

“Come on, we can look over these together after lunch.” He added, then strode over to where Marcus was, leaning just enough to give him a peck on the lips, noticing he seemed somewhat unusually glum.

“The kids found those?” He asked, and Baird should’ve known better than to expect him not to notice, really. Especially since they’d used the area to dispose of a few unexploded shells they’d found amidst the grounds years ago.

“Yeah, but I gave them the talk, again.” Fiddling with the strap of Marcus’ overalls where it rested on his chest, Baird met his eyes. “They’re ok, and they got it, alright?”

“This time around, hopefully.” Marcus was still frowning, but didn’t seem to want to add anything else on the matter. “You go, I’ll return with the Silverback. There’s a few barrels I need to roll out with it.”

So perhaps this is why Marcus had heard him, if he’d been on his way to the shed already. Still, Baird felt there was something else on his mind.

“Okay, but I’m waiting for you, lunch, remember?” He said, deciding whatever it was it would be easier to talk about it once they both sat down. Or after, since the boys would be there too. Either way, Marcus just gave him a nod and made his way over to the Silverback.

Letting him pass first, Baird walked slowly, lost in thought.

A flock of birds crossed the spotless blue skies overhead, and his eyes followed them instinctively, a shiver running down his spine. Old habits, perhaps.

Feeling the old, dry paper in his hand, he tried not to think, not to let himself dwell on the images his mind conjured. He’d only heard the boy’s retelling of the events, but the pictures had still formed in his mind, vivid, full of pain and fear.

The day hadn’t been much different than today, for what little of it he recalled himself. Unusually warm, with the promise of spring that hadn’t come fully for yet another couple of months still, not the way it was now.

But it had been a good enough day for a picnic, for teachers to lead an excursion near the city, all pre-approved and cautionary. It was a small field next to a lake, a bunch of overgrown shrubbery that couldn’t even be called a proper forest.

He’d gone to inspect the place afterwards, realizing that the old canals which ran alongside it were practically stockpiled with rusted shells, and an even bigger disaster had been avoided by a thread.

The controlled detonation could be heard miles away, and it took weeks to sweep the remaining area, making sure there wasn’t another hidden crèche.

_“It was so dark, I couldn’t see anything, or hear anyone.”_ The boy’s voice had wavered, and he’d gripped the hospital blanket tightly, tears sliding down his cheeks not long after. “I kept calling out, but there was nobody. I didn’t know what else to do.”

“It’s alright, it wasn’t your fault.” Baird had done his best to comfort him, though he could see he was showing residual signs of shock, even a month into the recovery. Especially combined with the loss of limb, it was to be expected that the trauma wouldn’t recede so easily.

“If I had stayed put… or not gone in that place at all.” Rubbing at his eyes in an abrupt, nearly angry motion, the boy had sniffled, not looking back at him.

“Hey, you didn’t know those explosives were in there.” Putting a hand on his shoulder, he’d leaned over, trying to bring as much comfort in his tone as he could. “I’ll make sure you can walk again, and play, and it’s going to be ok now – you’re safe.”

“No way I’ll be able to do that again.” This time, a pair of dark blue eyes had met his, but he could see the boy was struggling against more tears.

“Once your leg heals fully, I’ll make you a prosthetic. You’ve seen the robots in the central square, haven’t you?” He had asked, knowing that it was more than likely that students were brought there to see. It was less about his bots, and more the seat of the council and the First Minister which was currently being built in the picturesque spot, but the point remained.

“Yeah?” Now they’d reached a state of tentative curiosity, something he could definitely work with.

“One like that, how about it? With it, you can run and jump and do everything you’d like to, just like before right?” Pulling out a notebook from one of his jacket’s seemingly endless pockets, he flipped it to an empty page, sitting a bit better so that the boy could see. “I can start drawing the diagram now, if you’d like to watch.”

“Really? Right now?” The boy had smiled at him for the first time since he’d entered the room, and Baird finally began to feel optimistic about what they could do, together, from that point on.

Even if he couldn’t prevent what had happened, there were still options for what hadn’t yet.

“Yep, see, got my pencil ready and all.” He’d added, putting his hand to the paper in a bit of an exaggerated manner. He wanted to keep the boy smiling; especially as he realized he seemed quite near JD and Del’s age. It could’ve been either of them in his place, could’ve been anyone really and he still would’ve felt the same pain crushing the inside of his chest.

The wars were over; it wasn’t fair for them to still bring pain. One could say that vision was naïve of him, and he knew well the reality of what still lingered on even once the enemies were long gone; but especially in cases such as these, he wanted to say enough. He wanted a way to stop it from hurting innocents, even if there was no real way to rid the world of all those dangerous relics of the past.

“Um, I’ll need to get my glasses first.” The boy appeared hesitant, but still had reached over to the bedside cabinet when Baird nodded in agreement. Specifically, to a hard case placed on top of it, near a small pile of books.

Putting the glasses on, he’d appeared even more bashful than before, but Baird thought he definitely had his attention at least.

“Now, here we go – keep looking, it’s part of how the magic happens.” From there on, he’d sketched and refined some details, the basic shape and functionality coming up in his mind; he knew it had to be a design which allowed for adjustments when it came to changing height, and that eventually the boy would need a new prosthetic altogether.

But in the moment, he had focused on doing what he did best, on creating. Even if the sketch was nary but a first draft, it was a beginning, and it gave the kid hope. He could see it, in each consecutive session they’d had after that too.

When he’d drop by to check on him, or to show him the progress of the actual physical limb; noticing the awe and interest the boy have had, seeing the metalwork come together.

It made it easier, Baird liked to think, to wait for the final date when he’d be discharged from the hospital and they’d actually get to connect the prosthetic, given that his leg had healed fully.

That moment, was in the near future now.

In fact, it came as no surprise that his thoughts were drifting in that direction, since he’d planned his next trip to the settlement to fall somewhere within the following couple of weeks.

Without realizing, he’d reached the house already, and paused, glancing around.

Del and JD were sitting under the apple tree, seemingly lost in a book or a comic; he couldn’t say from afar.

“Kids, come along now, it’s lunchtime.” He called them over, already going indoors as they got up to follow him.

Leaving the rolls with the maps on one shelf, he washed his hands, trying to shake the last of his previous thoughts away.

Drying up with a towel, he moved to the side so that the boys could get on the small step in front of the sink and reach for the water jug, washing up thoroughly as well.

“What are we having today?” Del asked, glancing over his shoulder at him.

“Hmm, not quite sure. Any ideas?” Baird really hadn’t considered what to make, and was too busy earlier to notice himself getting hungry. But knowing his boys, they were probably also getting positively ravenous by now.

“Stir fry!” JD and Del said in unison, making him realize that yeah, they’ve probably thought about it in turn.

“Well, I see the vote’s on the side of stir fry. Help me with the pots and pans, yeah?” He asked, already reaching for the cold storage to grab the ingredients he needed.

It was, luckily, one of the few dishes he could do rather well, and also one that Marcus quite favored too. It being relatively fast to make was an added bonus.

“Who’s gonna chop things today?” Came the next question, as he scrubbed the vegetables clean, looking between the boys.

“I will!” Del said, coming to his side, stepping on the little block again.

“Can I do the sauce then?” JD asked, a pot in his hands.

“Sure thing, just be careful with the pepper – it’s quite spicy.” JD’s kitchen expertise had so far yielded somewhat lumpy sauces, but Baird didn’t mind, not when he saw his enthusiasm on the matter. Plus, one got better through repetition, right?

“Careful now, let me do the stems first.” Reaching to help Del, he quickly chopped off the hard stems, leaving the rest of the root for Del to cut, since it was more malleable and that minimized the possibility of getting cut. Marcus kept the kitchen knives wicked sharp, which worried Baird sometimes, but watching how careful Del always was had swayed him towards allowing him to help with the cutting.

Keeping an eye on them both still, he began washing the rice, humming to himself as he went along.

Yeah, it would do for a fine lunch indeed.

Once the dish was just about done, he quickly set the table, letting the boys help again – putting down the plates, the bread, the glasses and fetching a bottle of juice from the pantry.

A steady noise from the outside told him Marcus was returning the Silverback to the shed, just in time.

When he got inside the house, Baird noticed the boys falling quiet. They’d taken their seats earlier, and were chatting about something from the book they’d been reading, but he didn’t blame them for claming up now. They still hadn’t forgotten their earlier talk, which at least had him think they would keep it into consideration the next time they played further out into the lands.

“The Silverback’s nearly out of charge. I think you’ll need to find a better replacement battery.” Marcus said as he washed his hands, the line of his shoulders nearly blocking out the light coming from the window before the sink.

“Yeah, I was meaning to bring one back when I go to the city.” He said, leaning on the counter next to Marcus. “But wanted to make sure the rest of it worked well before I lug a whole battery all the way over here. You know how heavy those things are.”

He’d been working on various more efficient and compact designs, but there was a limit to what was comparable with an old unit such as the Silverback.

“Mmmm. Next time then, huh.” Marcus glanced at the boys, who were doing their best to avoid his gaze. They knew when they’d messed up something, but apparently Marcus had decided to listen to him this time, and didn’t say anything about their ‘find’.

Instead, he gave Baird a quick kiss, and then looked over to the fireplace.

“That about ready yet?”

“Oh, should be done now, yeah.” Going to grab the pan with a pair of mittens, Baird removed the lid and placed it on the table. Now they could all sit down, though as a last minute addition he took the plate of waffles which were left over from breakfast. Would do about desert, with a side of sliced apples.

Little could be said between four hungry fellas, Baird sometimes mused. Ever since Del and JD had grown up in the last few years, their focus was first and foremost on food, and less so on anything else at mealtimes.

Still, once they collectively moved onto dessert, Marcus spoke up.

“So where did you find those maps then, hm?” His tone was casual, and Baird saw the wordless moment of debate between the two, as they turned, seemingly come to the conclusion that it would be better not to beat around the bush this time.

“Along the edge of the old canals.” JD said, though noticing his father’s look, continued nearly without a pause. “Just about where the trees begin. We didn’t go far in, I swear.”

“It’s true, we were less than a couple of trees in.” Del added, gaze focused on Marcus intensely. “It was sticking out next to the roots, so we took it.”

“It was my idea.” JD said, poking at his waffle with his fork.

“No it wasn’t.” Del spoke in turn, clearing his throat. “I told him it could be a treasure map, like in the comics. So it’s my fault.”

“James?” Marcus insisted, though Baird could see he wasn’t as angry as he’d expected him to be, considering that both of them had told the boys that part of the forest was off limits to them.

“It’s true. But I took it, so yeah.” The waffle was now in bite-sized bits, but JD still didn’t eat it.

“Alright, acting as a team this time, I see.” Marcus added with a sigh. “You know you’re not meant to go there. You know why too, as Damon has reminded you again. Am I clear?”

“Yes.” They said in unison, and Baird decided that it was an apt moment to diffuse the tension.

“Alrighty, now that’s cleared up, eat your dessert, ok?” Getting up with his own now empty plate, he placed a hand on Marcus’ shoulder. “Me and your dad’s going to look and check what is the treasure you found after all.”

“Not treasure.” Marcus insisted under his breath, but followed him regardless. “Don’t go around giving them the wrong idea now.”

“I’m not, but come on.” They moved over to sit on the sofa, Baird holding the rolled up paper. “Can’t have them lose their appetite now, right?”

“I didn’t mean to—“ Marcus ran a hand over his face, shutting his eyes.

Waiting, Baird realized he’d unwillingly hit a sore spot of sorts.

“Hey now, you know what I meant. They’ll be over it in a bit, you know they can’t hold out when there’s waffles involved.” He tried to jest, but Marcus just shook his head.

“Not the kind of thing I want to be making them feel at all. But how else do I explain, how do I make sure they don’t go there again?”

“That’s why it’s called tough love. And believe me, I’d know when it’s too much of that and tell you, alright?” Wrapping an arm around his shoulders, Baird waited for another long moment. “I know something’s been on your mind all day today, could feel it since the morning. Talk to me, if not now then later, ok?”

“Yeah…” Marcus didn’t move to stray from his embrace however, just wrapped an arm around his waist in turn. “Let’s take a look at those things then, see what’s on them.”

“Okay, here we go.” Baird took a roll at random, inspecting it – there were no distinct marks, nothing to suggest it was a numerical piece of a few. Though that could be on the inside.

Removing the string which held it together, he slowly unrolled the thick paper, careful in case it cracked. However, it did not, and soon they were greeted by a schematic of a city of sorts, from what he could see. It was rather detailed, though the focus was on the maintenance shafts, basements, pipeline tunnels and sewage system.

“Perhaps an evacuation plan, since there’s shelters too?” Marcus noted, pointing out a few blocky areas scattered across the plan. They did seem to be shelters, though without proper identifying markers, it was difficult to say for sure. “How about the other three?”

Taking each piece next, Baird repeated the process until they were faced with a topographic map of an area of Tyrus, a grid map showing electric lines and outposts surrounding several cities.

“That’s Ethreya.” Marcus said after a while, glancing over all the maps once more. 

“Didn’t the COG flood that one, way back?” Humming, Baird realized the maps were likely even older than what he’d thought.

“Yeah, it was before the Pendulum Wars. They made a dam there.” Marcus added. “Dunno why these things were in a sealed canister in the forest though. The Ethreyan lake is more than four hundred miles away.”

“And the lot of that’s a forest, if I remember correctly.” Still, Baird definitely found his curiosity piqued. “Maybe there’s been a road here, oh about, a hundred and twenty-ish years ago.”

“A lot can change in that time.” Marcus took one of the maps and held it up to the light of the window. “Perhaps there’s something we’re missing.”

“Invisible ink?” Baird still wasn’t sure if the find was actually something this complicated, but decided to take a better look at the other diagrams as well.

“Any better reason why these had been so important?” Getting up, Marcus went to one of the storage cabinets, rifling through it for a while.

“You think they actually had something to hide in that town?”

“You never know with the COG…” Returning with a thick, well-worn book full of various slips of paper to mark some places, Marcus sat next to Baird again before leafing through it. “I can’t remember why, but the name had come up somewhere else before.”

“Maybe it had to do with the power they produced from the dam near it.” Still, Baird straightened out the papers, placing all of them on the coffee table, using a candelabra and a couple of wooden figurines to hold down the edges.

“Perhaps there is something to be learned about projects that seem well-intentioned at first.” Handing the heavy book to him, Marcus’ expression remained unreadable. But glancing over at the title of the article he’d picked, Baird sighed.

“ _’The agricultural impact on the Ethreyan plains after the construction of the hydroelectric dam, deemed as disastrous for the entire region_.’” Skimming through the page, Baird didn’t find anything else noteworthy enough to point out, considering where their research had begun. “So this is what it has all been about today, huh. The bots.”

“The bots.” Marcus leaned back on the sofa, eyeing him up from the side. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to okay their mass production, in the long run?”

“We’ve talked about this Marcus. You saw that Anya was ok with it too.” Putting the book aside, he turned to face Marcus better. “I don’t see how giving a bunch of mechanical people real people’s dangerous jobs is such a bad thing.”

“It’s not about what they’re doing now and you know it.” Marcus rarely displayed such ongoing interest to get in Baird’s work plans, but this topic had been debated a lot in the past weeks. “You told me that it was already decided, without even discussing it with me first.”

“Look, I made those bots, to help build safer settlements, to scout out dangerous areas, hell, if you must, to take out the garbage.” Trying to keep his tone from rising unnecessarily, Baird continued. “All of this means there won’t be people who have to risk their lives instead, and in turn, there won’t be such a divide between those who have to risk everything and those who don’t.”

“And that’s the part that’s made Anya agree with it.”

As a First Minister, she’d done a lot to organize society, especially in New Ephyra’s settlement. And Baird liked it when their ideas about that very settlement converged, especially since he’d made the building of most of it, on the scale it was now, possible. Still, it seemed that Marcus’ thoughts had gone in a different direction when it came to Baird’s autonomous assistance bots.

“You know the people we lost while making the burial sites.” It wasn’t something either of them liked to bring up, but Baird was running out of options. “I just don’t understand why are you against it so much. No one’s ever made bots like those before.”

“And that’s exactly my problem.” Marcus walked to the door, in a wordless gesture to have Baird follow him if their conversation were to continue, away from the boys’ ears. Which he did, albeit begrudgingly. “The mines, the old equipment – the people we lost knew the risks, even if that doesn’t make it fair.”

“Then why?” Leaning on the doorframe, Baird waited, watching as Marcus seemed to come to some sort of an internal decision before answering.

“You know how everything my father made eventually lead to more destruction.” He said in a low tone, still not meeting Baird’s eyes. Instead, he looked out towards the lands, the nearly perfect picturesque scenery only shadowed by the derelict old mansion.

They’d never gotten around to start repairing it, and he knew that Marcus didn’t seem to want to in the first place. Too many ghosts for him in that place, maybe.

“And you’re even smarter than he was.” Chuckling humorlessly, Marcus finally looked at him. “Give it ten, twenty years. Do you think your bots would remain unchanged?”

“Jack did, for the most part. For the entire war.” Baird had changed only what could make the bot better, rather than repurpose him entirely.

“That’s because resources were scarce, and you know where most other scientists were.” And what they were trying to do remained unsaid, but Baird had to give it to Marcus – he was right about one thing.

In the nine years since the end of the Locust War, they had gone through a greater rise in technology and innovations than in those past seventeen years. He tried to imagine what the future in those ten, or twenty years would be like, and he found that he couldn’t quite set the limit.

He had so many ideas, and they were growing into enough people, time and resources to finally make them into something palpable.

“For once, apart from me obviously not planning my bots to be used for bad things, how about we factor our First Minister’s thoughts in too – do you see Anya ever okaying them if there was a danger?”

“She might not see it at first either.” Resting his hands on his hips, Marcus glanced over to the storm clouds that were beginning to gather, still not close enough to obscure the sun. But with the unpredictability of spring, Baird wouldn’t be surprised if the afternoon turned into a downpour. “I know both of you mean well, so let’s just hope I’m not right about this.”

“I know what you said when she decided to have the town wall set.” Baird had been somewhat worried about that too, since making people need a permit to go in and out freely seemed like a bit of an overreaction. But they’d seen enough smaller settlements get burned out by some remaining stranded, and it had been a necessary decision in favor of everyone’s safety. “But we’re not going back to the old ways. No one wants the COG the way it was before.”

“Then maybe it’s all just changing too quick for me.” Stepping out, towards the stables and the greenhouse, Marcus hesitated only for a moment before continuing. “But you had already decided, and the bots are on the streets. What does my opinion on it matter anymore.”

Baird wanted to add something, but Marcus walked away, clearly unwilling to continue their talk; or perhaps wishing to check that the animals were secured before the storm hit. Maybe both.

Feeling the wind change as the rainclouds drew nearer, Baird went back inside the house, closing the door. Marcus would’ve told him if he wanted his help, and if he wanted alone time, Baird wouldn’t press him now.

“It really wasn’t treasure after all.” Del spoke, from where he and JD were sitting on the sofa, looking at the papers he had left on the table earlier. 

Shaking his head, Baird went to them. He couldn’t really blame them for being curious still, now could he?

“It’s pretty old though, and interesting if I say so myself.” He picked the atlas which was framed on one wall, before sitting next to the boys. “A ghost town, disappeared more than a hundred years ago.”

“Really? How could a whole town just disappear?” JD asked, his eyes shining. He was always ready to listen to a story, especially ones that didn’t come from any book.

“Well, it’s actually under a lake now.” Baird began, though he was interrupted again, which he took with fondness, considering the boys’ mood seemed vastly improved since the end of lunch.

“Wait, like Jacinto?” Del inquired, and Baird realized he should’ve remembered they’d probably already learned of Jacinto in school.

“Not quite, and not for the same reasons.” Looking over the large atlas, it took him a moment until he found the spot he wanted. It wasn’t named, but the lake and the river were drawn carefully, down to every detail. “These diagrams actually show the city of Ethreya, which would have been right here.”

Leaning over to take a better look at where he was pointing, the boys shared a bit of a disappointed look.

“It doesn’t seem like much.” JD shrugged. “We have a lake too.”

“Well, that one is way, way bigger.” Stifling a small laugh, Baird tried to inject the necessary dose of adventure and mystery in his tone. “People did it so that they can have electric power. We’re likely the first ones to see the way it’s looked since those who had sank it.”

“Wait, did they let the people out first?” Suddenly, JD seemed very distressed.

“Of course they did.” Pulling him closer in a comforting manner, Baird looked between them both. “It had been completely empty before the river rose around it.”

“But you can make electricity with windmills, why didn’t they?” Del asked next.

“There was probably not as much wind in there as it is here.” Baird decided it wasn’t enough of an explanation, so he tried to present the next part as gently as he could. “There were a lot more people back then, and they needed way more electricity than we do now too.”

“And they didn’t have a smart dad like you.” JD hugged him back, and Baird smiled at the sentiment.

“Yeah, maybe I would’ve done things differently if I was there.” He said after a while, not quite certain to the path his thoughts seemed to take.

As he was talking, Baird noticed the room getting progressively darker, and heard the wind pick up speed. Branches momentarily scraped over one window before being swept away, and he frowned. It really seemed like the storm was about to be a strong one.

“Stay put now kids, I’ll go close the shutters.” He said, already getting up. If the wind was serious enough to carry branches around, he couldn’t risk it.

“But what about daddy?” JD asked, holding onto Baird’s hand. He always did have a fear of thunderstorms, but that was usually quelled by having the two of them by his side.

“I’m sure he’ll be back any minute now.” Kissing the top of JD’s head, and then Del’s, Baird looked at the two of them until he was sure he had their attention. “And so will I, so wait for me here, alright?”

“Alright.” Del had pulled the blanket from the armrest, and was currently trying to wrap it around himself and JD.

“Okay, good.” He heard the first rain drops patter over the roof just as he reached and opened the door.

It was nearly torn out of his grip, the wind slamming it against the frame. Fighting against the unusually ferocious gusts, Baird closed it behind himself, keeping flush to the wall of the house until he could reach the first window.

With a lot more effort than the seemingly simple task of closing the wooden shutters should’ve entailed, he put the latches in place, hoping the metal would hold out. Glancing around through squinted eyes, he saw the taller trees twisting under the pressure of the wind, but soon that became the least of his worries.

The sky ahead was steely, and a massive swirl of storm clouds unlike anything he’d seen before were approaching, nearly above the house now.

Cursing, though the howls of the wind stole the sound from his lips, he reached the next couple of windows in a hurry. It was even more important to complete his task now.

Just as he closed the final latch, the hairs on the back of his neck rose in warning.

He’d been fighting for most of his life. He survived more bullets grazing by his face than he’d wanted to statistically admit was plausible. So when his body sensed danger, he’d learned to listen to it.

Without thinking, he rolled down to the side, back towards the door. Although he still had a solid amount of space to it, the blinding flare which shone even through his closed eyelashes told him it had been enough.

He smelled scorched wood, but didn’t linger on to find the source. Instead, he half-crawled, half-ran towards the door, straining to open it against the wind which threatened to rip the clothes off his back.

Rushing inside, he allowed himself one final look in the direction of the storm.

The heavy clouds were illuminated by lightning, restless like they were locked in a jar; but what he couldn’t quite believe was the fire. Blazing around parts of the cloud formation, and down within the forming vortex, alongside hot rays of plasma which were forming due to the violent reaction inside, along with any dust and soil that must’ve been picked up along the way.

Despite the dull ringing in his ears, he heard a shout come from the inside, and that tore him out of his stupor. Pushing the door closed before leaning against it, Baird struggled to draw in breath for a few frantic moments.

He could barely see anything in the dark, only the remaining embers in the fireplace barely illuminating the room. The wind howled in the chimney and had made them glow brighter, but there wasn’t enough wood left for them to burn with a full flame. His own heartbeat thumped against his eardrums almost in tune with the thunder which clashed outside.

Del and JD were still sitting on the sofa, holding each other, now quiet. He saw that the various papers and small items that were put around had been knocked over by the wind, even for the brief moment in which he’d kept the door open. 

“ _Marcus_ …” Shutting his eyes, he could only hope that Marcus hadn’t tried to walk back through all of that now, and instead was safe in the barn or the greenhouse. And that either of those would hold, because with the way that storm looked, there were no guarantees.

He blinked when he felt a faint tickle over his collarbone; then realized it was masonry dust, falling down from the ceiling.

Rushing forward, he went to the sofa, pulling the boys in his arms. They returned his embrace silently, making him realize exactly how afraid both of them must’ve been.

Glancing up again, he saw the outline of the large support beams, carved from whole tree trunks. He remembered making those alongside Marcus as they’d built the house. The roof was heavy, covered in large flat stones and thickly insulated with woven hay. But as the storm raged on, he became more and more uncertain.

There were tornadoes on Sera, Baird knew as much; but not in this area, not even close. Shouldn’t have been anywhere near even, something at the back of his mind told him. And they definitely didn’t look like they’d devoured a power plant along the way.

Shivering for a moment as he remembered his near brush with death mere minutes ago, Baird tried to think if he’d ever read anything on a phenomenon such as that. Yet the more he thought about it, the more he drew blanks.

Even the maelstrom generator, which he hadn’t gotten to see up close, but had inspected in detail from the schematics on Adam Fenix’s data disk later, hadn’t come close to this. It had been a mostly regular storm, peppered with lightning as expected by the mechanism which created it.

The thing outside was a whole different breed.

Hearing a quiet sniffle, he looked down, realizing that Del was crying, face buried against his chest.

“Hey there, hey… it’s okay, I’m here now.” He said softly, pulling Del closer. It seemed like JD wasn’t the only one afraid of thunder. Taking in a deep breath, Baird tried to calm himself down as well. “The storm should pass soon, alright? We’ll just wait it out here.”

He couldn’t be sure in his promise, but it was for the better if he gave them a comforting lie now.

“But what about daddy?” JD mirrored his earlier question, though all Baird could do was pull the blanket around him a bit tighter.

“He’ll come when it’s safe, I’m sure of it.” It was the truth, he realized. He didn’t imagine a scenario in which Marcus didn’t return to them. It just couldn’t happen. “Your daddy knows how to take care of himself, and is probably hunkered safe in the barn now.”

“With the horses and the sheepies?” JD mumbled, though Baird could detect a trace of fondness in his tone. “And the bison?”

He’d always admired the gentle giants, as well as all the various farm animals they had. The horses let him pat their muzzles once Marcus or Baird lifted him high enough to reach. And the bison had led to many entertaining picnic days, for both boys; although Del had seemed a bit more apprehensive to approach either animal at first.

“The herd is probably safe in the caves, but the horses and the sheep should be indoors, yes.” He explained, his tone gentle. He had no idea how frightened the animals must’ve been with the storm raging on, but knew that if Marcus was with them, he’d try to keep them from hurting themselves.

“Is it true that animals can sense earthquakes?” Del asked with a small voice, rubbing a hand over his eyes.

“I think so, yes. I’ve certainly seen them hide away before the danger’s even clearly on the horizon.” That was true as well. Even though Baird himself had never spent much time around animals before he and Marcus had decided to care for a few, he’d noticed them running away during the war.

In fact, one of the telltale signs of grub holes had been the quiet. Birds and any critters had scattered away, more sensitive to the seismic disturbance than most man-made tools.

“So they should be safe in the caves then.” Del spoke again, just as another loud thunder echoed outside. “Can we have the lamp on?”

“Oh, of course. I’ll go light it up then?” Baird waited as both boys reluctantly let go of him, but could agree that it was a better idea than sitting in the dark.

Blindly reaching for the matchbox which stayed on top of the mantelpiece, he lit the lamp and brought it over to the table. Usually, they had several of them on at a time, but he didn’t want to risk lighting up any more, in case one of the windows gave up. Would be way too easy to cause a fire, that.

And speaking of, he reminded himself to put another log in the fireplace. It caught up quickly, and he eyed up the flurry of sparks which shot up the chimney. The rain didn’t seem to be exactly a downpour, but it had gotten cold outside and the room was beginning to feel chilly.

“Better now, right?” He asked, the twin nods he got in response making a small smile grace his lips.

Sitting back down on the sofa, Baird watched the flame flickering in its glass prison, trying to remember when was the last time he’d faced something which made him feel so helpless.

As the kids rested silently next to his side, he wondered what this new kind of storm would mean. It was hardly something which could be incidental; if the conditions were right for it to happen once, then it would certainly happen again.

Thinking about the settlement, about New Ephyra, he started running a few calculations through his head.

They were already building in a new, more specific way than in the past; but he’d mostly been factoring internal forces, such as ground displacement, earthquakes, bombings… He’d be the first to admit that he’d also gone with a sense of grandeur, but size didn’t always mean efficiency, and maybe there were some changes he’d need to consider for the future.

Filing that away for further thought in a better moment, Baird waited, the sound of the storm somehow lulling him despite how loud it was. There were times when all he’d had to do is sit and wait; usually those involved dingy old houses and on occasion a vehicle. But nine years were a long time, especially when spent away from battle. He had nearly forgotten how it felt like, to have to do nothing and hope the hours which followed would bring clarity.

He wondered if Marcus was thinking similarly too, from across the grounds, waiting on the weather to finally have mercy.

They’d had a lot of winter storms so far, and without another light around them for miles on end, Baird had realized how raw and dark the night could be. Nature, in all its grandeur, as it has always been; remained unconquerable by man.

Inevitably, his thoughts circled back to their earlier conversation. Baird was proud of his bots, but had to admit that Marcus’ worries had merit. He was well-used to expecting the worst of people, and sometimes the two of them were more alike in that regard than not.

But as New Ephyra grew and prospered under his hands, Baird had allowed himself to believe that they can shape it in the image which he saw in his mind. The council wasn’t bad either, and he’d found little issues with it so far. As an (unofficially) privy party to it, he’d overseen the amendments to the COG’s constitution, the adjustments or outright strikethroughs of redundant or oppressive old rules, the pathways paved to better ones.

Yet even that hadn’t swayed Marcus, who much like many others, had preferred to pick and choose his own place, alongside all the hardships that came with such freedom. The Outsiders, as people had grown to calling them, quick to put labels to anything that didn’t fit one of the COG’s pillars of strength – order. They were all part of Tyrus, but didn’t quite conform to a singular seat of power.

Maybe it was something which couldn’t quite last unchanged in the long run. Baird couldn’t say. But he also knew that total obedience had led to the state of the COG he knew in his youth, and that was definitely not a mistake he wished to see take shape again.

He wanted the best of both worlds, and found himself adamant to chase that dream. It was one thing which united the lot of them, including the Republics of the other swing of the Pendulum – everyone still here was a survivor. They’d made it through the worst times known in history, and Baird felt the exact liberation it brought within himself quite well.

The possibility to shape the world in his vision was there for him to take. But none of it would matter if he did it alone.

Looking at JD and Del, he found them asleep – the day’s exhaustion having reached a peak alongside the fear of the weather.

He wouldn’t give them up for anything in the world. And Marcus knew it. Though, Baird admitted to himself, it didn’t hurt to remind him sometimes. Love wasn’t always a linear path, but despite their disagreements, he only felt it grow stronger.

Sometimes it was him who needed a reminder, a little pull when he got ahead of himself, Marcus being the voice of reason. He could appreciate that now, once he’d moved past resenting the figures in his life that had only hindered him before. It meant finding perspective where he usually wouldn’t, were he left to his own devices.

And well, pulling crazy stunts was only fun when there was someone to cheer with along the way.

Remembering a rather disastrous such moment, Baird chuckled, then let out a little hitched laughter as he recalled Marcus’ reaction to him unwittingly sinking the Sovereign.

All in all, the Leviathan had done most of the damage then, the tickers were but the finishing touch for that old hunk of metal. And yet, despite all that was lost on that day, he somehow found himself remembering it with a weird sense of fondness. It was yet another page they’d turned side by side, chances be damned.

What was a little wind and fire now? Just something else they’d inevitably adapt to.

At one point, when life had thrown so much of its worst at you, one ended up finding an odd comfort in the knowledge of still being there and kicking despite all that.

The door handle rattled for a moment, bringing his focus back to the present, and Baird realized that the room had fallen quiet. He could no longer hear the wail of the wind under the eaves or in the chimney; only the faint cracking of the log where it burned in the fireplace.

He watched as the door opened, relieved to see Marcus’ figure outlined behind it – he hadn’t noticed because the shutters being drawn, but despite that the skies had remained overcast, light had returned to the day.

“Are you hurt?” Seeing Marcus favor his right arm, Baird was on his feet in a second. The boys woke up as well, and ran towards Marcus before he could make another step.

“Dad!” JD hugged him tightly, and Del followed, both of them overjoyed to see him return.

“’S nothing serious.” Marcus said, though Baird saw him flinch a bit as he picked both boys up in his arms. “Must’ve pulled something when I was trying to seal the barn.”

Thinking of the heavy double doors, Baird could understand how hard it must’ve been for Marcus to close them with the ferocity of the wind earlier.

“Let me see, is it up here, the shoulder?” He pulled Marcus’ shirt collar to the side, until he could bare the skin over his collarbone. There was already redness, which meant he was likely in a lot more pain than he showed.

“Yeah… Wouldn’t say no to a hot compress.” Sighing, Marcus let the boys down, looking over them quickly. “How did you all make it through the storm? Any injuries?”

“Nope.” Del shook his head.

“No, we were here the whole time.” JD said, still keeping close to Marcus. “But it was scary…”

“Yeah…” After a moment, Marcus ruffled their hair, smiling lightly. “We’re though it now, and I’m sure you two were very brave.”

“They were.” Baird said when he saw the boys falling quiet. “I on the other hand almost got struck by a lightning, but that aside, all is well.”

The look Marcus gave him at that told him he couldn’t decide if Baird was joking or not.

“No, I really came about this close.” Putting his fingers about an inch apart, Baird shrugged his shoulders. “Nothing’s toasted though, so that’s fine.”

“Is this why one of the shutters is charred up? Noticed it along the way.” Still, Marcus was not-so-subtly looking him over, a hand reaching to rest on his forearm nearly instinctively. It was only then that Baird saw he’d scraped it some during his frantic moment of evasion, though the blood had long since stopped flowing, and only a few tiny stones had embedded themselves in his flesh.

“Huh, hadn’t even felt that.” Still, it was nothing a little rubbing alcohol couldn’t fix. “But yeah, just gave me a bit of a scare. I didn’t know if you’d made shelter in time.”

It was his turn to reach over to Marcus, hand caressing his cheek.

“I did. Had a pause when I saw that all the animals had already gathered indoors, and then I noticed the sky.” His tone low, Marcus turned and captured Baird’s hand in his, pressing his lips against the palm of it. “What the hell was that Damon?”

“No clue.” Shaking his head, Baird kept his hand where it was, hoping the silent act told Marcus more than his words could. “Winds so strong they caused plasma flares to form… Maybe only ‘end of days’ prophets ever described those.”

“What is the end of days?” Del piped in.

“Nothing, Baird’s just talking dilly-dallies.” Marcus was quick to intervene, giving Baird a look that he could best decipher as ‘don’t scare them any further than they already are.’ “It was a very big, dangerous storm. So from now on, I want you both indoors the moment you see clouds gathering, remember?”

“Alright.” JD definitely seemed a lot more agreeable to ground rules now, if Baird could take a gander. The wind…flare thing had shaken up all of them.

“We’ll remember.” Del said too, before pausing, his expression turning thoughtful, a look Baird had learned to recognize on him. “What’s a dilly-dally?”

He heard Marcus chuckle at that, and watched as he leaned against a counter, ready to explain to Del whose focus was now entirely on him.

Taking that as a chance to catch a glimpse outside, Baird eyed up the damage. A lot of broken branches, several toppled stones from the bridge, oh, the wooden roof of the shed along with his solar panels. He could see the wooden planks floating in the lake, though he supposed retrieving the panels would require him to go for a dip.

All of it could wait though.

Taking one last look at the overcast skies, he went back indoors. Silently fetching the box with the medical supplies, he walked over to the sofa. The boys were sitting by Marcus’ side, as they had with him earlier; just this time, there were no worries or fear in their expressions.

Marcus looked up at him in that moment, catching his gaze. Baird loved his eyes, and loved him so much, that he sometimes feared if his own heart could take all of it, if it had ever thought he’d one day be capable of loving in a way that didn’t leave space for nothing else.

“That can wait a bit. Come, sit.” Marcus said softly, and Baird left the box on the table, unwilling to do anything but rest by his side for a little while longer.

Feeling the comforting weight of the arm that Marcus rested atop his shoulders, he looked over at him, a grin pulling at the corner of his lips.

“Well, can’t say this doesn’t bring back memories, huh?”

“It sure does…” Closing his eyes, Marcus leaned his head on Baird’s shoulder, but didn’t keep silent for long. “Sorry about today. Feels like I got pissed off over nothing.”

“Wasn’t nothing. I should’ve told you about the bots sooner.” Sighing, Baird reached to move a wayward curl from Marcus’ forehead, noting how it seemed to hold more silver than black in the low light. “It’s water under the bridge now, but I’ll try to do better next time.”

“Already a next time in the works, huh?” Still, Marcus’ tone sounded more teasing than not, and Baird knew it was alright, for now.

“You know what I meant.” Huffing, he let his hand fall over Marcus’ chest, idly playing with the button of his shirt. “I will have to go to New Ephyra soon, but this time it’s cause I made a promise.”

“Hmm?” Marcus glanced at him from under his lashes, still peaceful.

“Remember the explosion back during Brume?” It was hardly something one would forget, but they hadn’t talked much about it. He’d been away to the settlement that month, including the bigger part of Storm and Gale, and for once Marcus hadn’t commented on his long absence, the news of the accident having made his way over to him way before Baird could.

“Yeah, you were securing the lands around the old city after that one.” Marcus remembered correctly; Baird hadn’t wished to work on anything else until he marked that job as complete.

“The kid who got hurt, Fahz.” A small shudder ran through Baird as he recalled the report, but hearing the story from the boy himself had been a whole different thing. The collapse of the tunnel, the secondary explosion… The time spent waiting for the rescue crew, entombed alive underground. “I promised him a prosthetic, and it’s about time he’s going to be out of the hospital.”

“They were playing hide and seek, right?” Marcus glanced over to where Del and JD were dozing off again, safe by his side. “How is he holding up?”

“He’s traumatized, as expected.” Baird sighed. “But he seems to be bouncing back from it relatively quickly still.”

“It’s surprising what kids can go through and still come out on the other side.” Marcus’ voice seemed a tad distant, before he cleared his throat and continued. “You see a lot of them over in the city, but it’s no different at the outside settlements. Even those who were old enough to remember the worst of the Locust are making it now.”

“Yeah…” That was true, from what he’d gathered as well. Many outsider camps actually consisted mostly of younger people now, though Baird wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d seen them hold guns when they were still children during the war. “Do you think it mattered, why someone had those maps of Ethreya taken so far from it?”

“Maybe it did, back then. Now? I don’t think we’ll know.” Marcus muttered, glancing over to the papers which were still scattered over the floor, left the way the wind had swept them up. “Much like those shells, they’re just left by ghosts of the past.”

“And the dead won’t tell their story.” Even as he closed his eyes, Baird could see the remnants of the flickering light of the lamp playing across his eyelids. “It leaves just us, as always. To deal with it.”

Marcus shrugged his shoulder lightly, seemingly agreeing that the former would be nothing new.

“You did the most you could.” Fingers splayed over his shoulder, Marcus held him just a bit tighter. “Don’t blame yourself for what happened.”

“I just don’t want it to happen again.” It was best to say it all now, Baird thought. Even if the river under the bridge wouldn’t be the same. “Destroyed a bunch of bots in the process of clearing out those grounds.”

“So they did get to serve a purpose.” Humming, Marcus seemed content with that knowledge, for the moment. “Keep ‘em where you can see ‘em though.”

“But not here?” Baird asked with a smirk, although he already knew the answer. The most complicated tech that Marcus allowed on the grounds was the Silverback, and even that had taken quite the convincing.

“Definitely not here.” Grumbling a bit now, Marcus plucked the pack of cigarettes from the pocket of Baird’s shirt, before flicking a couple of them out. “Don’t press your luck.”

“You will come to the official ceremony on the summer holiday though, right?” Pulling out the lighter, he passed it over so that Marcus can light his smoke. He rarely indulged, even less around the kids, but sometimes Baird knew they both needed it. Marcus had never quite picked it up as a habit, but Baird remembered him recalling it was something he did for a while in the past, before joining the army.

“Is it absolutely necessary.” Blowing out a large cloud of smoke, Marcus sounded vaguely like he was facing a rather unpleasant chore.

“You’ll get to see how’s the city progressing, plus the bots. I’m pretty proud of it all so far.” Nudging him slightly, Baird tried his best convincing voice. “The boys will be there too, it’s an official holiday. Come on, everyone’s been asking about you. Cole and Clay are starting to think you’re becoming a hermit.”

“Oh, are they now.” Marcus said with a hint of amusement. “And with the rate you’re going, I’ll probably barely recognize the place.”

“Can you blame them? It’s been over six months since you last went to the city.” That was true, and they weren’t the only ones inquiring after Marcus’ well-being. As much as they honored his wish of peaceful, secluded retirement, it was difficult for people who’d spent years as thick as thieves to find time pulling them apart. “And it’s the good kind of change. I think you’ll like the theater, plus Jace has taken quite some roles in it.”

“Everyone can come over here sometimes too.” Pulling an ashtray over to the top of his thigh, Marcus leaned back against the sofa. “Plus we do trade with the Outsiders. I feel it’s plenty of socializing as is.”

Baird recalled the year in which they had the road trip on the bikes, and how every spring and autumn since, Marcus had welcomed the gang to camp on the estate’s grounds. Bonfires burning for a couple of weeks, sometimes more; everyone catching up and going through the massive amounts of booze stockpiled in the cellar mostly for that reason alone.

“Just, come by for a day or so, alright? Can always make it back here on the bike after.” Baird had offered to stay if Marcus wished to go to the city for a while before, but the answer had always been more or less the same. “And the animals can do without you for that long.”

“I’ll think about it.” Another sigh, though this time Baird could guess Marcus would be swayed. “Could probably take the boys to see a play. Would be good for them.”

“Promise?” Baird found himself looking forward to that day, even as ephemeral and still far into the future as it seemed now.

“Promise.” Marcus meant it, this much was sure. He’d always kept his word to them.

Something which made Baird happy, because he could see that JD’s trust in Marcus was making him grow up feeling more secure, and definitely without the kind of disappointment that had sullied Baird’s own childhood.

So even when he or Marcus had to reprimand the boys for something, he felt assured that they would understand them, eventually. For someone who’d never been quite certain how to deal with kids, Baird liked the intuitive side of parenting, for it seemed to have gotten him and Marcus on the right track.

And spending quality time together was the best reprieve from work he could ever ask for.

“Thank you.” He said simply, watching as Marcus smiled in turn; before leaning over to steal a kiss, feeling the curl of Marcus’ lips grow even further.

***

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> This is my emotional support fanfic, and I do not accept criticism. Gentle comments are welcome though. 
> 
> I started writing this on a day which ended up with some very bad news.  
> Been difficult, ever since, but as always I found solace in Gears, so I finished this work. 
> 
> Cheers


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